A mechanism to create visual charts of a Linux boot sequence, including the timing of process start and execution.

C,D

Cupcake

The code name for Android version 1.5.

Dalvik

Virtual Machine in which Android applications are run. This VM executes Dalvik bytecode, which is compiled from programs written in the Java language. Note that the Dalvik VM is not a Java VM (JVM).

Every Android application runs in its own process, with its own instance of the Dalvik virtual machine. Dalvik has been written so that a device can run multiple VMs efficiently. The Dalvik VM executes files in the Dalvik Executable (.dex) format which is optimized for minimal memory footprint. The VM is register-based, and runs classes compiled by a Java language compiler that have been transformed into the .dex format by the included "dx" tool.

Dream

Code name for the mobile phone hardware publicly called the t-Mobile G1, in the United States.

F, G

fastboot

a program which communicates with the developer firmware, and which is capable of loading new software on the ADP1 phone (including re-writing the flash partitions on the device).

FreeType

An open-source set of fonts and font system

G1

The name of the first Android-based mobile phone, from t-Mobile.

Goldfish

The name of a virtual ARM platform provided by the emulator.

Goldfish executes ARM926T instructions and has hooks for input and output -- such as reading key presses from or displaying video output in the emulator. There is a "goldfish" configuration file for compiling the Linux kernel to run with this emulated platform.

Google

A large web search company, and primary developer of Android

I

init

the first user-space program run in the Android system

Intent

A facility to send messages between different Android components. A message is conveyed using an Intent object, which is a data structure holding a description of an operation to be performed, or of something that has happened and is being announced.

J

Java

Java is a programming language originally developed by Sun, and used to develop Android applications.

It is important to note that while the Java language is used for Android applications, the Java bytecode and Java virtual machine are not. for more information, see the entry for Dalvik.

JDK

Java Development Kit

L, M

Linux

An open source operating system kernel, developed originally by Linus Torvalds, but over time by many thousands of developers worldwide.

Live-android

A project to create an Android live-CD, for running Android on generic x86 platforms.

MSM

???

O

OpenGL ES

3D graphics system and API for Android applications

S

Saphire

SGL

2D graphics layer for Android applications

SQLite

A powerful and lightweight relational database engine used by the Android system components, and available to all Android applications.

T

Trout

ARM linux kernel machine ID for the HTC Dream hardware (used in the t-Mobile G1 and the ADP1)